In complex graphical user interface design, a challenge exists to strike a proper balance between functionality and screen clutter that impedes ease of use. Controls and annotation essential for the user to accomplish a task are primary content. Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's) often contain controls and annotations not critical for task completion. These controls and annotations are typically designed to supplement and explain the operation of the interface. Such controls and annotations are designated as secondary content. Examples of secondary content are items for context help popups, textual explanations and other non-critical functions. Although intended to enhance ease of use, secondary content often clutters the screen creating more visual “noise” that must be read and prioritized by the user in order for the user to progress through the task.
A need exists for a way to make secondary content “invisible” and to reveal the secondary content only when it might be needed and where the user is placed in control of the breadth of the exposure of the secondary content. Therefore a further need exists for a way to reveal items of secondary content based on actions taken by the user such as movement of the cursor.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,345 discloses movement and presentation of the cursor used to indicate the presence of links and means of traversing the links. The cursor is presented in a first manner while the cursor is over non-link elements in the first page. As the cursor is moved over the links, the cursor is presented in a second manner indicating to the user how to traverse to the second page. U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,478 discloses a computer implemented method of annotating a geometric figure displayed and manipulable in three-dimensional representation on a display of a computer system with a pointer. The pointer is also displayed and manipulable in three dimensional representation on the display. The particular view orientation of the geometric figure with the pointer can be preserved such that the particular view orientation of the geometric figure with the pointer can later be retrieved. When the pointer is activated, the pointer can be associated with a multimedia function such that when the pointer is again activated, the multi-media function is executed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,685 discloses an object oriented graphic user interface (GUI) having overlapping windows and an access window having topics, index and “look for” button functions for selection by a user. Selection of one of the button functions results in the generation and display of entries in a predefined area of the access window. Visual cues in the form of coach marks are generated for identifying features on the display. The coach marks encircle, point to, and/or underline objects, features, icons, folders and other display elements to assist the user in operating the computer.
What is needed beyond the prior art is a simple and effective way to cause secondary content to be revealed based on user actions.